St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-31

fore an officer could be found who reccs-
nized the President, and ushered him IN 10
| Grant.
The tone of talk at Grants headquarters
was as familiar as the style OF living. oeV-
eral of the men who had been longest with
Grant were palmer than himself IN their
habits and tastes. Rawlins, the ablest OF all,
had been charcoal burner, and though OF
course man of marked energy, and ableto
hold his own in conversation with the most
competent, was at times decidedly uncouth
in language Grant himself was never profane
in speech, but Rawlins was habltually ana
exceedingly so. He was profoundly attached
to Grant, but did not always display thesam
respect in manner or language which the
others maintained. Grant pardoned this be-
cause he knew there was no intention OF dis
respect, and because he valued Rawlins's re-
gard and services. But once heard him re-
buke Rawlins. 1t was during the final move
ment toward the left that ended in the>cap-
ture of Lee. The first day or two out
brought no result; the weather was bad, the
roads were almost impossible, and RaWllns
was very anxious to induce Grant to re-
turn to camp and postpone the move
ment. But Grant was determined to
perseyere, and Rawlins, with the best OF mo-
tives, became very urgent, even presumptu-
Gus in his language in the presence OF Meade
and one or two of Grants own staff. Finally
Grant got nettled, and turning short, ex-
claimed, "Who commands these armies, Cen
eral Rawlins, you or I?' Rawlins was very
much hurt; he went to his tent and declared
to me that he would resi- gn. But Grant was
sorry that he had wounded so true friend,
and took an early opportunity to soothe
him, and show him some mark of consldera-
ton before us all. He was always 10th to hurt
the feelings even of those Indifferent to him;
but when he touched the sensitiveness OF
friend he was more panied than the one
whom he offended.
But though no one at that time spoke to
him with the same freedom as RaWlins, for
no one else of the staff had been with him
so long and under the peculiar experiences
of his early campaign, still the whole at
mosphere Of the headquarters was intimate
and at times familiar. Grant conversed
with great outspokenness with all. He
liked a joke, either to tell one himself
or to hear good one; he liked to gossip
about old West Point friends, and to
tell about his earlier battles. He always
joined the circle around the campfire at
night, and his presence seemed no re-
straint, except that, because of his own
purity of conversation, no one ever told,
while he was by, the sort of stories
that are often common around camp-tires.
Grants purity indeed was not confined to
language. In all my intimacy with him of
twenty years, in camp, at Washington, or
abroad, never saw the slightest indication
of irregularity of life in regard to women. [
opened all his letters for years, and not one
was ever addressed to him that minated
lapse or threatened disclosure.
Yet though he was thus familiar he never
betrayed secret, military or personal, that he
meant to withhold. He would stop short in
conversation at once if question was asked
that might lead to more than he was ready
to unfold. He could keep his own counsel
better than any man l ever knew and yet
not seem to be restraining himself.
For Grant was man of much deeper
emotions than he revealed. Sometimes |
have thought that he had just as much am
biton and even vanity as any one else, only
the marvellous faculty of concealing both,
and at any rate he was not stolid because he
was serene. If. indeed, he was full of de-
signs under his mask ofimperturbabilit and
indifference, his intellectual quality was all
the greater to be capable both of the
restraint and the designs And who shall
say that he had not right to keep his own
plans and intentions to himself? If in this
way he deceived it was not his fault,
%Io+ g i, 10 4
tend, he did not simulate. Bismarck, they
say, deceives most completely when he tells
the absolute truth, and Grant had not a few
traits in common with Bismarck.
ADAM BADEAU.